Fall 2016 (class of 2020) USC DECISIONS STATS ONLY THREAD

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

No one’s made this yet, so I decided to put it up. All credit for format goes to @co4usc2016

REMEMBER - STATS ONLY - NO DISCUSSION.

All questions and discussions should go here: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/1842387-usc-class-of-2020-results-discussion-thread.html#latest

THANKS!

Here are instructions and a template you can use to help future generations of USC applicants!:

-Copy/paste all the text below from === to === into a new post (Do NOT include the ===)
-Delete the line that does not apply, i.e. Accepted or Rejected.
-Add your specifics.
-PREVIEW POST to see how it looks before you submit. Instead of clicking “Post Comment,” choose “Preview” so you can make adjustments before you post.

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Remove spaces in brackets before posting!!

===

Choose one:

[ size=4][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color][/size]
[ size=4][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Deferred**[/color][/size]
[ size=4][ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected**[/color][/size]

[ b]Date applied: **

[ b]Date decision postmarked/received:**

[ b]Which school/major at USC:**

[ b]Scholarships:**

[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses):
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details)::
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)::
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Interview:

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid?
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:

===

2

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** November 20th(?) Don’t exactly remember & too lazy to go to common app

Date decision postmarked/received: 01/25

Which school/major at USC: Arts and Sciences - Earth Science

Scholarships: Presidential (half-tuition)

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 34 (33 English, 35 Math, 33 Reading, 33 Science)
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Our school doesn’t rank, but probably 1/2 (probably going to be the valedictorian)
AP (place score in parenthesis): APES(5), APUSH(5), 2D Art(5), English Language(4), going to take Chemistry, Calculus, Spanish, and US Government
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP Cal, AP US GOV, AP Spanish (literally living hell), AP Lit, Psychology
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): lol

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Environmental Club president, Spanish Club, Photographer at hospital, Newsroom program at the Oklahoman, track and field (wasn’t great though), and some other stuff
Job/Work Experience: nope
Volunteer/Community service: somewhat scattered besides being the photographer at a hospital
Summer Activities: Travel (a big part of my application though, I’m really interested in cultural things and I wrote about that)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7-8
Recommendations

Teacher Rec #1: science teacher, had him for 4 classes, knows me well
Teacher Rec #2: social studies teacher, had her for 3 classes, knows me well too
Counselor Rec: probably a bit generic but I have him as a history teacher
Interview: didn’t have one but I am attending the explore USC event!

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Sí
State (if domestic applicant): OK
Country (if international applicant): China
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: idk really
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I came to the US in 7th grade with a scholarship? Does that even count

Reflection

Strengths: idk
Weaknesses: didn’t take SATII?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Well our school has a consistent ~50% acceptance rate at USC so I guess that helped
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: deferred by Columbia and UChicago

General Comments: Well congrats to everyone who received their package! I honestly wasn’t expecting to receive anything today (this month really) but let’s call it a pleasant surprise!

3

Decision: Accepted to Dornslife for International Relations and Global Economy

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1890 (570 CR, 720 M, 600 W)
ACT (breakdown): 33 (35 R, 31 M, 34 S, 32 W)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 740 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.84
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Don’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): 3 AP European History, 3 AP Language, 4 AP Chemistry
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Literature, AP Spanish, AP Calc BC, Government, Politics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
AP scholar, National Honors Society, Spanish National Honors Society

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
High School Volleyball Team (9 Freshman, 10 JV, 11 varsity)
Club Volleyball (9, 10)
Piano (11 years)
Freshman Mentoring (11, 12)
Social Media coordinator for a nonprofit organization (11, 12)
Selected as a member of the school district’s student and board of education relations committee (12)
Feminist Club Vice President and initiating member (11, 12)
Chemistry Club Member (12)

Job/Work Experience: Work at American Eagle
Volunteer/Community service: over 400 hours through freshman mentoring
Summer Activities: attended Brown University summer program
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9, discussed my childhood as a Kenyan-American and how that impacted me
Why USC essay: 8, pretty average to be honest
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Didn’t read, she likes me a lot, 9
Teacher Rec #2: didn’t read, she’s fond of me though, 8
Counselor Rec: didn’t read, don’t know her well but she likes me, 9

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: International Relations
State (if domestic applicant): Ohio
Country (if international applicant): United States
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Black, East African
Gender: F
Income Bracket: $75,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Black, female

Reflection

Strengths: standardized test scores, essays, recommendations
Weaknesses: AP scores, no EC’s were done for all 4 years
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: No idea

General Comments :
Please don’t spend too much time on this website comparing yourself to other students. Not a single person here will be able to determine your acceptance, deferral, or rejection from a school, and the process truly is holistic. Unfortunately all you can do is submit your best application and wait until decisions come out, doing anything else will only stress you, and I know this from being a student who used to panic over reading the stats of other applicants.

I am excited to have been accepted and I can’t wait to see what other options will appear in the next few months.

4

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: end of November
Date decision postmarked/received:1/25/16
Which school/major at USC:Viterbi
Scholarships:Presidential, but I also NMSF

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown):2300
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II Math 800, Chemistry 720
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.94
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):3/300
AP (place score in parentheses): 16 all 4 and 5
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:6 APs
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):Few

Subjective:

Extracurriculars President of 2 clubs, sport and more
Job/Work Experience: Yes
Volunteer/Community Service: Yes
Summer Activities: Research program
Essays (rating 1-10, details):Spent a lot of time and I am very happy with them
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):Did not read two out of 3. I hope they are very good.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):Should be good I think
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Interview: Yes

Other

Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant): AZ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity:W
Gender: F
Income Bracket: middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): LOL

Reflection
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Strong application and excellent essays
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:

5

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** Late November? I applied through Questbridge first, was a finalist but did not match, so I chose to go on with Regular Decision.

Date decision postmarked/received: January 25, 2016

Which school/major at USC: Psychology at Dornsife

Scholarships: Invited to interview for the Presidential Scholarship

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2060 C (610 M, 770 W, 680 CR)
ACT (breakdown): 31 C (34 E, 35 W, 29 S, 26 M)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 780 Spanish w/o listening, 740 Literature
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 15/476
AP (place score in parentheses): 5 on APHG, 3 on APWH, 5 on Psych, 5 on English Lang, 5 on Spanish Lang, 3 on Chemistry
IB (place score in parentheses): None
Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Art History, Economics Honors/AP Government and Politics, AP European History, Sociology/Women’s Studies, AP English Literature, Astronomy Honors
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 2015 Questbridge College Prep Scholar, 2015 Questbridge National College Match Finalist, 2015 AP Scholar with Distinction, National Honors Society, High Honors with Distinction: GPA Above 4.0 (school award, 9th, 10th, and 11th grade)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Teen Trendsetters, Young Democrats, Teenage Republicans, Youth In Government, Spanish Club, 2 years of Track and Field, 1 year of Cross Country
Job/Work Experience: Bakery-Cafe Associate at Panera Bread
Volunteer/Community Service: Elementary school mentor, theater tech at my local community theater
Summer Activities: None
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 10. I am a pretty proficient writer and I think I did really well in telling my story (child of undocumented immigrants) with a unique way (wrote about a documentary on La Bestia and how it changed my perspective on immigrants)
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: One of them was a bit generic, but my English teacher wrote me a PHENOMENAL recommendation praising my writing and involvement at school.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: I have no idea, my gc knows me pretty well, so I would assume it was great.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: None
Interview: None

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Florida
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: <30,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first generation college, child of immigrants, rural area, low income, Questbridge finalist

Reflection
Strengths: Like I said above, my writing is probably my strongest point. I was myself in all of the short answers and didn’t try to come off as being too pretentious or intellectual.
Weaknesses: My SAT score
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Had a ton of hooks, a great recommendation, and awesome essays.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: FSU (accepted), Auburn (accepted), UCF (accepted), UF, UMiami, UPenn, Dartmouth, NYU, BostonU, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Brown, Emory, Stanford, UCLA, UCSB, UCSD, UCBerkeley, Tulane, Wesleyan U.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Honestly, be yourself! I spent so much time comparing myself to other people on this site and I pushed USC to the side, thinking I could never get in. The admissions packet came as a pleasant surprise!

6

Choose one:

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** 11/01/2015

Date decision postmarked/received: 01/25/2016

[ b]Which school/major at USC:** Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Studies

[ b]Scholarships:** Finalist for a full tuition scholarship!

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 720 CR, 740 M, 790 W (2250 total)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.83
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 7/647
AP (place score in parentheses): Human geography (3), World history (3), Stats (5), English language and composition (5), Psychology (5), Chemistry (2), Calculus AB, Environmental Science, English Literature, Biology
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
I’ve also taken 7 Dual Enrollment classes
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB, AP Environmental Science, AP English Literature, AP Biology, Dual Enrollment Sociology, Economics Honors
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Founder/President of school’s nutrition club for 3 years, Swim and Water Polo for 4 years (captain), Math National Honor’s Society for 3 years, Science National Honor’s Society for 3 years, Relay for Life for 3 years
Job/Work Experience: 2 years as a summer lifeguard, Sales associate at PUMA over the winter
Volunteer/Community Service: 200 hours. Volunteered at Bit-By-Bit therapy and did clerical work for memorial hospital
Summer Activities: Lifeguarding
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: About a 9 I would say… I talked about learning about fitness/nutrition and how I want to pursue them academically
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 10, three of my great, great teachers wrote recommendation letters, and I’m very close to all three of them.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 10, I’m very close to my counselor
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Florida
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: > $80,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection
Strengths: SAT scores and GPA were a bit over the average, I think that I had solid extra curricular activities and great recommendation letters, but I didn’t do anything amazing.
Weaknesses: Scores could have been better, and I could have won major awards or had huge accomplishments
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Above reasons
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, Tulane, UF
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Fight on! Good Luck! I’m freaking out still about the acceptance!

7

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: November 28th.

Date decision postmarked/received:Postmarked January 22nd, received January 25th.

Which school/major at USC: Marshall School of Business for Business Administration.

Scholarships: Finalist for Presidential Scholarship.

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1820 (did not send).
ACT (breakdown): 30 composite.
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Spanish 800, Literature 710 (did not send).
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9.
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 41/521.
AP (place score in parentheses): English Composition (4), World History (3), French (3).
IB (place score in parentheses): Not offered at my schools.
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Computer Science, AP French 4, AP Environmental Science, AP Macroeconomics, AP Government, Debate, Marketing/Entrepreneurship.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None, I think? I’m an AP Scholar and I made it to state in Business Professionals of America two years in a row but they’re not aware of me doing so this year, so, only once. Don’t think it’s considered “major”.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Business Professionals of America (President), Generation Respect (Founder/President), Gay-Straight-Alliance (Officer), Family, Consumer & Community Leaders of America (Treasurer), Student Council (Class Representative), Spanish Tutor, Ambassador for AP, Debate, National Honor Society,
Job/Work Experience: Had a Marketing Internship last year for a few months!
Volunteer/Community Service: Led a self-financed initiative of granting low-income students school supplies and speaking to them of potential post-secondary opportunities in Mexico, Sunday school teacher.
Summer Activities: See above.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 10, made a point to put forth my personality even in the short answers. Was very specific about why I wanted to attend USC (pointed out particular clubs and aspects of Marshall that are attractive to me) and my extracurricular one was about the organization I founded. I’ll probably post the short answers in another thread.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: I only saw one (from my counselor) but all three teacher recommenders knew me very well. I’d probably say 8.5 overall.

Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 9. Very good, talked extensively about the effect Generation Respect has had in the school.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: N/A.
Interview: N/A.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? I’ll be applying, yes.
State (if domestic applicant): TX.
Country (if international applicant): I was born in Mexico if that means anything.
School Type: Public.
Ethnicity: Hispanic.
Gender: Female.
Income Bracket: $60,000.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, female.

Reflection
Strengths: My GPA is pretty good for my course-load, I think.My essays were, for a lack of better term, on point. Also, my leadership in extracurriculars isn’t half-bad.
Weaknesses: Test scores.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I really demonstrated my passion for utilizing a potential degree from USC for the “greater good” in my essays, and I do believe I successfully evinced my leadership skills. Being a URM probably had some positive effect on it, as well!
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UT Austin (Accepted into McCombs), Harvard (Deferred), Stanford, Columbia, Brown, University of Pennsylvania, New York University, Tulane, Richmond: The American International University in London, University of Chicago, Georgetown, Northeastern, Brandeis, Duke.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Test scores are definitely not everything. With as low an acceptance rate as USC has, I highly doubted I’d make it in – let alone be a finalist for a half-tuition scholarship. Looking through here only really made me all the more doubtful about my possibilities of getting in, and that’s pretty much why I made an account to post my stuff here to assure future CCers that it is, indeed, completely possible to get into such a university without necessarily having the perfect stats. I wasn’t at all expecting to be a candidate for the scholarship and oftentimes doubted my standing as an applicant, so, this was an incredibly welcomed surprise.

8

Hi! These results threads helped me quite a bit while I was applying to college, so I hope this will help some of you too! Here they are:
Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** 11/28/15

Date decision postmarked/received: postmarked: 1/22/16 received: 1/23/16 (I live in Los Angeles county)

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife/mathematics

Scholarships: Trustees

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): cum: 2330, M: 800, CR: 770, W: 760
ACT (breakdown): overall: 35, E: 34, M: 36, R: 36, S: 34, Writing: 32
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math Level II (800), Biology E (800), U.S. History (760)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92, but I took the highest courseload possible at my school
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Calculus BC (5) [AB subscore: 5], AP U.S. History (5), AP Art History (5), AP Physics C Mechanics (5), AP Physics C E/M (4), AP Computer Science (4), AP English Language (5), AP Biology (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Environmental Science, AP Statistics, AP U.S. Government, AP Spanish Language, AP English Literature, Speech and Debate
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
- History Bowl 9-12
- Math Team 9-12
- We the People Constitution Team 12
- Student Council Historical Commission 10-12
- Speech and Debate Team 10-12
Job/Work Experience: I work as a private tutor
Volunteer/Community Service:
- The Huntington Library 9-12
- my city’s local museum 9-12
- Peer tutoring 7-12
Summer Activities:
- summer after 9th: Columbia University High School Summer Programs, took a course in mathematics
- summer after 10th: Stanford Summer Humanities Institute, took the Age of Jefferson course
- summer after 11th: the individual project at my local museum (see above)
Essays (rating 1-10, details)::
- Common App: 8-ish (wrote it about peer tutoring, but it was very meaningful and passionate, generic as it may be)
- non-academic pursuit: 9-ish (wrote it about SCHC, with my leadership in the organization, and linking it to my volunteering at the museum. pretty unique IMO)
- academic interests: 7 (about my divergent interests in math and history, how they relate, but I’m not quite sure how unique it really could have been)
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: didn’t ask for them
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Probably a 10. I had a really great relationship with my counselor, and I took the heaviest courseload of ay student, like, ever
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: nope
Interview: nope

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes, but I don’t think I’ll end up submitting the forms because we’re upper-middle class
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: large, competitive public
Ethnicity: Asian-American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: ~$150,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): idk, honestly. Maybe that I’m a girl interested in the STEM field? I had good scores and grades, but nothing extraordinary. If it makes a difference, my mom got her Ph.D from USC and worked there for several years.

Reflection
Strengths: decent scores, decent extracurriculars
Weaknesses: Asian, not exceptional scores or anything else
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I guess that holistically, my application fit in with what USC was looking for, and I personally think that I was a good fit.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Stanford REA, rejected. waiting on the UC’s, a bunch of Ivies, and Williams
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Honestly, just prepare yourself for the worst. Don’t even expect anything good. That way, if you don’t get in, you’re not disappointed, and if you do, you’re thrilled. Also keep in mind that college admissions is basically a crapshoot, and there are no “chances,” despite what you may see on CC.

Best of luck!

9

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: Late November **

Date decision postmarked/received: Jan 25

Which school/major at USC: Viterbu

Scholarships: Full tuition (unknown which at the moment)

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 800 CR 770 M 780 WR
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Bio M (780) Chem (800) Math 2 (780)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): unknown
AP (place score in parentheses): APUSH (4) Chem (5) Calc BC (5) Comp Sci (5)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: Advanced Topics in Comp Sci, Differential Equations, AP Lang, Ap Phys C: Mech, Ap Phys C: E/M, Robotics, Symphony
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMSF, Hispanic National Scholar, a few other not impressive ones

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Robotics (Co-captain, Head of programming), Science Bowl (A team captain, president), GWC (president), JSA (used to be Secretary, SoCal cabinet member)
Job/Work Experience: worked in two different Bioengineering labs, CTO for friends blogging start up
Volunteer/Community Service: a few things but none that I put on my application
Summer Activities: MIT summer program, research, a start up program
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 7. I hate writing and am not good at it but I had good things to write about. Common app essay talked about single parent household
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 10. Had great teachers and one was the SciBowl mentor
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 8? I don’t really know
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 11. Honestly was the awesomest thing anyone has ever written and was from an MIT professor
Interview: Thought it went ok, not amazing

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: F
Income Bracket: prefer not to state
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection
Strengths: recs, extracurriculars
Weaknesses: bad writer, not the best at interviews
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Honestly… My Rec letter from MIT and grades
Where else you are applying or have already applied: lots of other places and phone is going to die haha
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Be yourself! But have a prepared reason you want to go to the school that doesn’t sound fake or rehearsed

===

10

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: early November

Date decision postmarked/received: January 22/ January 25

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife; Philosophy, Politics, and Law

Scholarships: Presidential

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2360 - 800 CR, 770 M, 790 W
ACT: n/a
SAT II: 800 USH, 740 Chem, 720 Lit
Unweighted GPA (4.0 scale): 4.0
Weighted GPA (4.0 scale): 5.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5% of 378
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geography, World History, US History, Chemistry, Comparative Government (all 5’s)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Literature, AP Gov, AP Econ, AP Statistics, AP Physics 1, Spanish IV H, Juvenile Law H/Homicide H,
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, NHRP, AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Four year Varsity and Club soccer (1 year as captain) - top nationally ranked teams, Spanish Honor Society (President), Pre Law Society (electives every semester and internship), NHS (Treasurer), Rho Kappa
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: Sailing Instuctor every summer (~400 hours)
Summer Activities: sailing, soccer. Did an 8 day program on IR at GU.
Essays: Common App about teaching sailing, supplement about immigration
Teacher Recommendation: first was a teacher who taught me 3 classes last year and gave me 2 awards, definitely really liked me probably 9/10. Other was my English teacher last year, probably good but not amazing.
Counselor Rec: 10/10 great relationship

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: Philosophy, Politics, and Law
State (if domestic applicant): FL
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: top ranked private school
Ethnicity: Hispanic (Spain, Mexico)
Gender: M
Income Bracket: high
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection
Strengths: test scores, grades, URM
Weaknesses: course load could have been more challenging. Never took AP Calc, AP Lang, AP Physics C, or a few of the other more difficult courses at my school.
Where else accepted: Georgetown, BC, UVa

11

Choose one:

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** don’t remember – just sometime before december 1st lol

Date decision postmarked/received: today, aka december 25th

Which school/major at USC: viterbi engineering

Scholarships: presidential scholarship finalist

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2220 didn’t send this in though, only took it for national merit
ACT (breakdown): 36 (35 math and english, 36 reading and science)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 sat 2, 740 lit. I don’t think i sent those in though.
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.84 unweighted, 4.71 weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): my school doesn’t rank, but i wanna say top 8%?
AP (place score in parentheses): chinese: 5 ap euro: 4 calc bc: 5 ap lang: 5 apush: 5
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: ap micro, ap studio art, ap chem, honors seminar writing, ap computer science, math topics (multivariable calculus), constitutional law
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National merit semi-finalist, ap scholar, some art and miscellaneous small-scale academic things, nothing big

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): ooh boy there are a lot. varsity pommer (like cheerleading), varsity forensics/speech team member (team won state last year), varsity badminton (went to state for doubles last year), student council (four years), peer leadership (committee chair, attendance manager, committee member), national art honors society (treasurer), piano (aim level 10 technique, level 7 theory)
Job/Work Experience: worked at kumon over the summer, taught my neighbors’ kids piano
Volunteer/Community Service: volunteer at the local nursing home arranging repertoires with some friends, went to costa rica last summer and did manual labor etc
Summer Activities: research internship for engineering, costa rica service trip
Essays (rating 1-10, details): my common app essay was pretty strong, I’d say. it was a good reflection of my character. for the supplementals, eh idk i recycled mine lol and kinda half-assed the “what website/app do you frequent the most” question, so I’d give that a 7?
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): ap lang teacher – loved her, she loved me. 10/10, physics teacher, struggled in her class but showed good work ethic etc, got an A. 10/10
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): we’re super close – i just chill in his office sometimes for fun. 10/10
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): didn’t send one in
Interview: didn’t have one

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? yep
State (if domestic applicant): IL
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public, 3000+ kids
Ethnicity: asian
Gender: female
Income Bracket: <100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation immigrant? female with experience interested in engineering?

Reflection
Strengths: my well-roundedness and stats, common app essay
Weaknesses: us specific essays, gpa
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: accepted to case western, northeastern honors college, both with a good amount of merit scholarship money, deferred from brown
Where else you are applying or have already applied: swarthmore, tufts, upenn, u of i champagne, santa clara, harvey mudd, stanford, wash u, duke, may be missing some idk
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: honestly, i’m kinda surprised. these past couple years have been pretty rough for me, so it’s different to have things working out for me now :slight_smile: also just found out i’ve been nominated for the federal presidential scholarship today, so you can say i’m overwhelmed LOL

12

[ size=4][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color][/size]

[ b]Date applied: ** 12/01/2015

[ b]Date decision postmarked/received:** 01/25/2016

[ b]Which school/major at USC:** Computer Engineering and Computer Science at Viterbi School of Engineering

[ b]Scholarships:** Unknown

[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown): 2220 (CR: 680 M: 740 W: 800)
ACT (breakdown): 34 (W 34 R 32 M 35 S 35 Essay 12)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Chemistry (790), Math II (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 (4.314 W)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 6 out of 377
AP (place score in parentheses): Chemistry (5), Calculus BC (5), United States History (5), Statistics (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): Chemistry SL (7)
Senior Year Course Load: (All IB level) Physics HL, English Literature HL, Math HL, Psychology HL, Environmental Systems and Societies SL, French SL, Theory of Knowledge II
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 3rd Place at Regional Science Fair, National Merit Commendation, Honor Roll

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Science Club (12, Founder), MU Alpha Theta (10-12, Vice President), National Honor Society (11, 12, Treasurer), Marching Band (9), Wind Ensemble (10)
Job/Work Experience: Internship at ClassWish, Social Media Manager of a Fashion Website
Volunteer/Community Service: Nursing Home (my service project as a leader in NHS), summer camp for disabled children, Basketball band, small NHS things
Summer Activities: The internships listed above, completing an Extended Essay
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 7 (they weren’t my best, they weren’t my worst…)
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 8 (I haven’t been very involved in things so idk about my recs)
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 5 (counselor barely even knew me lol)
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Interview:

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): OR
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public, Suburban
Ethnicity: Indonesian (Southeastern Asian)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~50,000 to 60,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy (dad graduated with a Masters in Architecture)

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: Some of my stats, extra curriculars
Weaknesses: my essays and recs, my awards/achievements
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Legacy for sure, tbh.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Prefer not to answer.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Make your essays gold if you don’t have the best stats. Make sure your relationships with your teachers are solid and that you do more than what’s expected of you (asking your teachers for research opportunities that they may know wouldn’t hurt either…). But remember above all else: SCORES ARE NOT EVERYTHING lol

13

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** November 31st

Date decision postmarked/received: January 25th, 2016

Which school/major at USC: Viterbi for Computer Science and Business Administration

Scholarships: Half tuition

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):2050 Superscored 630 CR 800M 620 W
ACT (breakdown):Did not send
SAT II (place score in parentheses):800 Math II 800 Chinese w/ Listening
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.87
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):1/220
AP (place score in parentheses):5 AP Calc AB, 5 AP Computer Science, 5 AP Chemistry, 5 AP Environmental Science
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: Calculus 3, Linear Algebra, College Physics Mechanics, College Physics E & M, College Macroeconomics, College Discrete Math Analysis
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing major, won a couple start up events

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): FTC/FRC Captain, Day Trader, Quantopian crowd source contributor, president of computer science club, president of finance society, varsity tennis.
Job/Work Experience: 2 Years of working at a restaurant (Contributed all my earnings to my family)
Volunteer/Community Service: 300 hours of volunteering.
Summer Activities: Prestigious summer programs at university of Washington
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 10 (Every teacher said it highlighted my tough upbringing and extenuating circumstances)
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 10 (Teachers were impressed of me financially supporting my family and taking the most rigorous schedule/valedictorian)
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 10(Counselor knows my family and described how I become the supporting pillar of my family)
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 10 (Had my manager give me a rec)
Interview: TBD

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes. EFC 0 so I get full aid I think.
State (if domestic applicant): Washington
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: LOW SES
Ethnicity:Asian
Gender:M
Income Bracket: <30k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):First generation, Upward Bound, Low income

Reflection
Strengths: My circumstances and my rigorous schedule.
Weaknesses: SAT I Test scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: High achieving low income student
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Only accepted to USC so far! That’s fine because it is my #1 choice :slight_smile:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: This process is really hollistic! I thought not having competitive SAT scores would deter me, however they do look into if you actually took full use of the resources that were given to you. Sometimes it is advantageous to be low income and high achieving because that is what seems like affirmative action is shifting towards to(income based).

===

14

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** November 22, 2015

Date decision postmarked/received: Received January 25, 2016

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife, Philosophy, Politics, and Law; Religion

Scholarships: Finalist for Full-Tuition Scholarships

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2250C Single-Sitting (770 CR, 700 M, 780 W); 2290 Super-Score (770 CR, 740 M, 780 W)
ACT (breakdown): 34C (35 E, 32 M, 36 R, 34 S, 31 E + Essay)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 750 Bio E, 750 Math II, 710 US History, 660 Lit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): 5s: European History, Psychology, Environmental Science; 4s: Art History, Chinese, Calc BC
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP US Government (Semester), AP Macroecon (Semester), AP Biology, Yearbook 1, AP Statistics, AP Comp Gov (Semester), AP Human Geo (Semester), AP Lit, Academic Decathlon
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, UPenn Book Award, other Volunteer-related awards, First Aid, CPR, and AED certified (not sure if this goes here)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Hotline Volunteer (Listener, Mentor, Senior Training Facilitator, Advisory Board Member), Gay-Straight Alliance (Co-President), Advisor to HS Principal, National Chinese Honor Society (Secretary, VP), Meditation Group/daily meditation, Soldier’s Angels Club (Founding member), Academic Decathlon (Honors Team Captain), Link Crew (Link Leader), Alpine Skiing, National Art Honor Society, eSports Club (Co-President)
Job/Work Experience: Worked as a summer camp counselor for 2 years, Worked part-time for a tutoring firm, now do private tutoring
Volunteer/Community Service: Mental Health Hotline
Summer Activities: Summer Camp Counselor, Online Honors US History course, UPenn Social Justice Research Academy
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App 9 I’d say it was one of my best essays ever written, about personal identity; Non-Academic Pursuit 8 Very well written, put quite a bit of time into it; Academic Interests 7.5-8 Generally well-written, very specific to USC
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Haven’t read any of them because I waived my rights to, only speculating here based on my relationships with them; Junior Honors English/Yearbook teacher 10/10, Loved me, was basically her star student, AP Art History/AP Gov/AP Macroecon/AP Comp Gov/ AP Human Geo/Aca Dec teacher 10/10, lots of courses and interaction with him over Junior and Senior years, very close to him personally
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 8.5-9/10 Switched to a new counselor Junior year due to administrative changes, but I took time to get to know her and we developed a close bond. Knows a lot about me personally
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): N/A
Interview: 7/10 Pretty standard, nothing really special but did well

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public,1700+ kids
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Trans (Not gonna go into too much detail here)
Income Bracket: <250k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Not really sure tbh, perhaps my interests were not common among Asian applicants?

Reflection
Strengths: High stats, Strength of essays, Outstanding rec letters, Unorthodox extracurriculars?
Weaknesses: Only 2 years of language
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Overall strong applicant?
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted to UAlabam (Automatic Full-Tuition), Yale (SCEA), UMich LSA (EA), Waiting on decisions from Amherst, Bowdoin, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Haverford, Middlebury, Princeton, Sarah Lawrence College, Stanford, UPenn, Vassar, WUSTL, Wellesley, Wesleyan University
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Take courses that are rigorous, but reflect your interests and not purely for a rigorous transcript; express who you are in what you do

15

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: November 30th **

Date decision postmarked/received: January 25th

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife College of Letters

Scholarships: Finalist for Trustee (full-ride)!

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2310–760 Math/800 Critical Reading/750 Writing/8 Essay
ACT (breakdown): 35 C: 35 Math/35 Reading/35 English/34 Science, 33 English w/ Writing (10 on Essay)
SAT II (subject, score): 800 Math II, 800 Chinese, 790 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.974
Weighted GPA: 4.487
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/400 weighted
AP (place score in parentheses): English Language (5), English Literature (5), Chinese (5), Calculus BC (4), Calculus AB subscore (5), Chemistry (4), Statistics (4) NOTE: MY SCHOOL OFFERS NO AP CLASSES. We are an IB school.
IB (place score in parentheses): None
Senior Year Course Load: IB English HL, IB Computer Science SL, IB Astronomy SL, IB Biology HL, US History, publications, Linear Algebra and Differential Equations at local university

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): National Scholastic Art and Writing Silver Medal for writing, published in The Best Teen Writing (an anthology of about 70 works chosen from the 500 National-Medal-winning pieces), 1st place in the Sierra Nevada Review High School Writing Contest (another national writing contest), two-time AIME qualifier, qualified for Math Prize for Girls at MIT (competition for top 300 girls nationally) and got a score that placed me in the top half there

Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): 3 Gold Keys, 2 Silver Keys and 4 Honorable Mentions from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards regionally, published in a bunch of literary magazines, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Semifinalist, a bunch of other smaller city/school-level awards in math and writing, school champion for Chemistry Olympiad, small city/state-level awards for badminton

Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Started a creative writing mentorship program to help kids, youth poet ambassador for my city, poetry reviewer for submissions to a national literary magazine, on teen advisory board for community library, did math, played badminton, on student council for one year, editor of school magazine
Job/Work Experience: Writing tutor for over 15+ kids weekly
Volunteer/Community Service: None other than the things already listed
Summer Experience: Worked on my mentorship program, attended Iowa Young Writers’ Studio in 2014, took online math classes from The Art of Problem Solving, went to driver’s ed, did a computer science research internship at a local university (also watched a lot of Netflix)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Wrote “Pikachu” when asked for my role model, “Pokemon trainer (gotta catch 'em all)” for dream job, and “Thomas Jefferson” for favorite fictional character. My Common App essay was actually serious though, it was about a near-death experience that pushed me to realize life is too short and to start taking more risks. Non-Academic Pursuit was about slam poetry and how it got me into social justice. Why USC was a bit bland but not too bad.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Probably solid but not incredible.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): Quite good, but not stunning.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): It was solid as well.
Interview: Didn’t have one.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Oregon
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nope!

Reflection
Strengths: High stats (but not perfect), unique combination of writing and math extracurriculars (both with national recognition)
Weaknesses: Recommendations weren’t out-of-this-world, none of my teachers would say “best student I’ve ever had” or such.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: It was definitely my answer to favorite musical artists (“me in the shower”) that got me in.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted at MIT EA, accepted to University of Oregon as full-ride finalist, applied to Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, University of Pennsylvania, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and University of Washington.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: TO FUTURE APPLICANTS: In high school, I didn’t do the things high-achieving kids were expected to do at my school. I didn’t participate in the full IB Diploma program, didn’t join our Constitution Team, didn’t join any community service clubs, didn’t join the International Study Center, didn’t join National Honor Society, didn’t even take that many IB classes my junior or senior years because I simply didn’t want to spend that much time and effort on a subject I wasn’t all that interested in. This meant I had a ton of free time that I got to spend on working on the things I loved–math and writing.

DO WHAT YOU LOVE. High school is about so much more than doing things to get into college. Pursue the things you’re interested in. That way, no matter the outcome, it would have been worth it.

===

16

Choose one:

[ size=4][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color][/size]

[ b]Date applied: ** 11/28/15

[ b]Date decision postmarked/received:** 01/25/16

[ b]Which school/major at USC:** Dornsife, Political Science

[ b]Scholarships:** Presidential (Half-Tuition)

[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown): 2130: 700/710/720 (CR/M/W)
ACT (breakdown): Did not take
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Did not send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 Unweighted, 4.22 Weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1 of 22
AP (place score in parentheses): Psychology (5), English Lang and Comp (4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: Government and Contemporary Issues, AP US Government, Calculus, AP Lit and Comp, Physics, AP Calculus

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMS Letter of Commendation, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), various in-school academic awards, Louis Armstrong Jazz Award

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): National Honor Society (President), Student Government (SB President), Symphonic (Carnegie Hall performance), Wind, Jazz, Marching, Pep Band (section leader), Science Olympiad, Maui District Student Council Organization (MDSCO) (Vice Chairperson), Varsity Air Riflery
Job/Work Experience: U.S. Senate Intern
Volunteer/Community Service: Action Team (team captain), Rotary/Interact Club, Science Olympiad Elementary Competition Judge, Track and Field Official
Summer Activities: Nothing, really.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Common App: 9.5/10 (about a personal experience/challenge that confirmed my career goals), Academic Interest Essay: 9/10, Non-Academic Pursuit Essay: 9/10
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 10/10 for both! Knew each of them for 4+ years and have a good relationship with both.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 10/10. Considering that I’ve only known her for two years, I’m confident that the letter was detailed and impactful.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 10/10, from employer
Interview: None

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Hawaii
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Private (< 150 students)
Ethnicity: Asian and Caucasian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $100K-200K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation college student

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: Essays and recommendations
Weaknesses: SAT scores, course load
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I was shocked that I got in, let alone as a Presidential finalist. I think essays and recommendations definitely pushed it in my favor. I think they were able to see that my course load was a reflection of my small school and I’m glad that they truly looked at me in the context of my school and the opportunities I had.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UH Manoa (accepted), UCLA, UCI, UPenn, Harvard, GW, Georgetown, AU, CUA
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: After looking at the states on the CC page from last year, I was truly shocked at my result. The big takeaway from this is that SAT scores matter, but are not everything. Keep in mind the other things that colleges look for in a student. On a side note: for those of us who obsessively check these thread everyday, we should all probably calm down. Congratulations and good luck to everyone! FIGHT ON!

17

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** November 1st

Date decision postmarked/received: January 25th

Which school/major at USC: Annenberg/ Broadcast Journalism

Scholarships: will be considered for Presidential Scholarship

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1930 ( Writing 600, Reading 670, Math 660)
ACT (breakdown): 28 (I do’t remember but didn’t report it)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math 1 (740) Spanish with Listening (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.89
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 11/445
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Spanish Language (5) I failed two other APs AP Calc AB (1) AP Lang (2)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP Spanish Lit, Economics, Leadership, Journalism, Multicultural Literature
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Hispanic Recognition, QuestBridge Finalist

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): ASB (Communications Commissioner), School Newspaper (Editor-in-Chief), Raza Latina Club (president), Blue Hole School Spirit Club (president), Journalism Club (president), EF Cancer (president), Altar Server at Church, i played clarinet freshman year lmao
Job/Work Experience: Subway Sandwiches, and now at Allstate
Volunteer/Community Service: San Jose Earthquakes volunteer, Link Crew, Interact, and Altar Server
Summer Activities: I did Mosaic, a Journalism Workshop that’s put on by the San Jose Mercury News, supposedly USC knows about it
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Common App essays are 9.4 I WROTE about growing up with undocumented parents and having less money and stuff and about accepting my gay friend thanks to my gay teacher.
My supplementals: 4.5 THEY WERE SO SHIT OMFG I think I did really bad on one of them bc i wrote about my school spirit club which is pretty irrelevant
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 10, i didnt read them but the teachers i chose really love me and are known for good letters
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 9, HE LOVES ME SO HOPEFULLY GOOD
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Interview:

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? yes
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic/Latino
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <$40,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation, QuestBridge, journalism

Reflection
Strengths: my extracurriculars and unweighted GPA, being editor in chief of the paper is a super plus. My common app essays were good. Also, I think Mosaic helped but idk
Weaknesses: MY SUPPLEMENTALS WERE PRETTY BAD GUISE I REGRETTED THEM BUT I GOT IN SO YAY
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: for being Latino and smart I guess
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Northwestern, Syracuse, Pomona, Northeastern, Emory, Tufts, Grinnell, UCLA, UCSB, UCI, UCD, SDSU, SJSU, Cal Poly, CSU LA, and a few more, 26 total
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: PRAY TO GOD

18

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: December 1, 2015

Date decision postmarked/received: Postmarked: Friday Jan 22; Received: Tuesday Jan 26

Which school/major at USC: Sol Price School of Public Policy…so neglected :frowning:

Scholarships: Presidential

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Never took
ACT (breakdown): 35 ( 35 33 36 34)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 750 AP WH, 760 Math 1, 750 Lit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/ 520 (but everyone at my school w/ over 4.0 is ranked 1)
AP (place score in parentheses): AP World History (5), AP Psychology (5), AP US Govt (5)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP English Language, IB Business and Management SL, AP Chemistry, APUSH, BC Calc
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Daughters of the American Revolution Citizenship, National Latin Exam Gold (x2), AP Scholars

Subjective:
Extracurriculars:
Debate (Officer, National’s qualified, head researcher)
Editorials (Specifically directed at the County School Board; mostly about how their decisions have affected the student body)
Wrote a STEM integrated curriculum for elementary schoolers + implemented with the help of local teachers
Founded + coach SCIOLY at old elementary school to encourage girls in STEM
Founded + first violin + transcriber of a pop quartet (we play Lady Gaga, Coldplay, etc. except on string instruments)
Founded + president of Tea Partea (we promote multiculturalism through tea!)
Head of church girls’ ministries
Treasurer of NHS

Job/Work Experience:
Worked in grocery store for summer

Volunteer/Community Service:
Probably should have done more of this

Summer Activities:
Sat on couch w/ computer writing curriculum + transcribing songs

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App (8/10) Prompt was the one about standing up for something. Was about how I got kicked out of a store for yelling at this racist women but then later realized how wrong I was by not handling the situation like a calm, mature adult and how that was the only way people would listen.
USC Non-Academic Pursuit (8/10) Wrote about writing my curriculum after I saw that my sister was a kinesthetic learner
Why USC? (8/10) Talked about how I wanted to work in policy and education and how Rossier was the only school that offered undergraduate education studies so I was going to research using help from both Rossier and Price. Talked about how I was moved to work in education policy after I saw how poorly NCLB was executed.

Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Didn’t get to see them but my counselor told me they were stellar.

Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): We’re pretty close but I think he thinks I’m a bit uptight. But still he said I was a fantastic student once so I don’t think it can be that bad.

Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): None

Interview: None

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid? Nope
State (if domestic applicant): VA
Country (if international applicant): USA/AUS dual
School Type: mid size public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: high
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I have seen a total of 1 person on CC ever mention Price so competition must be low

Reflection
Strengths: ACT, GPA, relatively strong leadeship

Weaknesses: Early graduation (only 16 actually…) because of family circumstance, no volunteering, not a lot of direction to my EC’s

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Academics got me in (I think), essays really showed why I wanted to be involved in education policy (even though that’s not even a track at Price…)

Where else you are applying or have already applied: CMC, Duke, Fordham, King’s College London, LMU, SMU, TCU, W&M, UVA, WashU, Yale-NUS, University of Western Australia

General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Graduating early was stressful. My family circumstance only arose two weeks into the school year and I had to organize everything for college applications in time. I only had one chance to get my ACT right! Anyway, I’m so happy to be asked to interview for this, USC is definitely one of the top schools on my list at this point. To those who didn’t get scholarship notifications: Honestly, people told me I wouldn’t even get in to USC because I’m only in my third year of HS let alone get a scholarship, so don’t lose hope yet. I once read on CC someone say “don’t lose hope until you have the rejection letter in your hands” and that’s kind of what I’m living by right now. And even then, if a school doesn’t accept you, you’re still a great student and a great person and you’ll thrive wherever you turn out.

I can’t wait to meet everyone at USC Explore. Fight on!

19

**Decision: Deferred for scholarship consideration **

**Date applied: October 28th **

Date decision postmarked/received: January 26th /

**Which school/major at USC: Annenberg for communications **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t submit
ACT (breakdown): 28 (33 English, 31 Reading, 23 Math, 23 Science, 29 ELA)
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75/4.65
Rank: 23/382
AP: Human Geography (3), Psychology (5), Art History (3), Biology (3), US History (4), English Language (5)
IB: N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Government, AP English Literature, AP French Language, AP Environmental Science, AP Statistics, Honors 20th Century US History, Honors Modernity and Global Culture
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, Girl Scout Gold Award, Virginia Girls State, Virginia Summer Residential Governor’s School for Humanities, National Honor Society

Subjective:
Extracurriculars:

  • LGBTQ Alliance (President and founder); 11 and 12
  • Girl Scout (Gold Award Recipient); since 1st grade
  • Key Club (Events coordinator); since 9th grade, officer since 10th
  • Piano Lessons; since 5th grade
  • Technical Theater/Running crew for school musicals; 10, 11, 12
  • Local Democratic Headquarters; during gubernatorial and presidential elections in 9th and 10th
  • National Honor Society: 12
  • Model United Nations: 9, 10, 11, 12
  • French National Honor Society: 9, 10, 11, 12
    Job/Work Experience: N/A
    Volunteer/Community Service: Through Girl Scouts, Key Club, Democratic HQ, NHS and FNHS, etc.,
    Summer Activities: Governor’s School for Humanities (Sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education, it’s pretty competitive to get into. Don’t know if it’s viewed in such high esteem in California though), Virginia Girls State
    Essays: 8’s maybe? There were three typos. For the common app I talked about Governor’s School, for USC supplements I talked about how LGBTQ Alliance had become a second family to me/running the club while being closeted to my parents, and detailed in my general USC and Annenberg supplements about specific things for pre-law courses, and how my interest in media advocacy could be fulfilled by student press organizations, research, diversity and location, etc. I didn’t think my essays were all that good until I read a few other peoples’
    Teacher Recommendations: 7?? AP English Language and Humanities teacher. I’m really quiet and have never been a teacher favorite, but she’s a wonderful writer and I’m sure she gave the best possible recommendations to all of her students. And French teacher. Again, I’ve had her for four years but I’m really shy; although I did see a paper recommendation she was filling out for another college, and she had given me the highest marks possible in the evaluation.
    Counselor Rec: She doesn’t like me very much but knows the difficulty of my circumstances.
    Additional Rec: N/A
    Interview: I didn’t interview but met with an admissions counselor. I felt like I made a fool of myself, but I sent her a thank you note afterwards.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Halfway through it
State: Virginia
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public, average GPA is about a 2.5, not a lot of students go on to four year universities; I’m in a specialty center for humanities and take my elective, English and social studies classes with different curriculum, I believe info on that is attached to the secondary school report
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Middle class
Hooks: I’m gay and have a chronic pain disability

Reflection
Strengths: Unique background, long term commitment to a few activities that are personal to me
Weaknesses: Decent GPA and test scores, but not on par with the USC average (awful math and science subscores), no one in my school has ever applied, no SAT II scores, never visited campus, haven’t really done anything “groundbreaking” and there were typos in my essays. I feel like I should’ve made more effort to show how I would fit in at USC. Also my guidance counselor doesn’t like me and I made a fool of myself to the admissions counselor.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I was probably overall just underwhelming against the rest of the applicant pool.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Admitted to Virginia Commonwealth University (scholarship), George Mason University, James Madison University, waiting to hear back from Pace University in Manhattan and UCLA.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I knew I wouldn’t get it but I’m still bummed. Looks like I’ll be stuck in Virginia for the next four years. Congratulations to everyone who has been admitted early though, I really hope you take advantage of the amazing opportunity that you’ve been given!! You deserve it and the rest of us shouldn’t be ungrateful for what we’ve been offered elsewhere.

20

Decision: Deferred from scholarships

**Date applied: ** November 17th or something like that

Date decision postmarked/received: Received via email on 1/26

Which school/major at USC: Viterbi, Computer Science

Scholarships: None :frowning:

Objective:
SAT I: 2120 (730 M, 720 CR, 670 W)
ACT: N/A
SAT II: Math II (740) Spanish (800)
Unweighted GPA: 95/100
Rank: School doesn’t rank, but I know I’m in the top 10%
AP: AP Spanish Lang (5), APUSH (5), AP Phys I (3)
IB: N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP Java, Portuguese IV, Humanities, English, Chem II
Major Awards: National Hispanic Scholar

Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Community Service Executive Board, Portuguese Speaking Club Founder, Student Diversity Leadership Club, Piano lessons, Pep band
Job/Work Experience: Two years as teacher’s assistant and one year as librarian’s assistant at a summer camp.
Volunteer/Community Service: More than 80 hours, I highlighted my experience at RMHC.
Summer Activities: Work
Essays: 8/10, I spent a really long time on them and got good feedback.
Teacher Recommendations: 9/10, I sent in three and they all had extremely nice things to say (as far as I know lol).
Counselor Rec: 9/10, my school writes extremely personal counselor recs.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Currently completing FAFSA and CSS
State: NM
Country: USA
School Type: Small private, non denominational
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: M
Income Bracket: Between 100k and 150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nothing really besides ethnicity and geography.

Reflection
Strengths: Essays, Teacher and Counselor Recs
Weaknesses: SAT scores, senior course load
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My weaknesses
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UNM, ASU Barrett, Rice, TAMU, OSU, NM Tech
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I’m actually not too disappointed. I visited ASU and Barrett just yesterday and I think I’d be really happy there. Honestly, this is going to make it easier to pick a university. :slight_smile:
Congratulations to everyone who got a scholarship!!!